ENGLAND players were left shocked by Thomas Tuchel’s bizarre World Cup retreat that arguably cost the Three Lions a place in the final.
Tuchel‘s side were leading 1-0 against Argentina as late as the 84th minute, but fell to a 2-1 defeat after Lionel Messi popped up with two assists to break English hearts.
Thomas Tuchel left England players shocked by his perceived defensive subs against Argentina Credit: Getty
Tuchel brought on defenders instead of midfielders or attackers in an ultimately fruitless effort to shore up the defence Credit: Getty
The ex-Chelsea manager was accused of making “cowardly” subs when bringing on extra defenders in place of wingers and attackers.
However, the 52-year-old claimed the subs were made to try and help the players close the gaps in the defence, with Argentina ramping up the pressure and missing a number of chances before getting their reward.
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Tuchel also insisted he had “no regrets”, but according to The Telegraph, the changes he made to bring on Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly stunned some players.
The report claims there was belief in the squad that the reigning world champions were there for the taking after Anthony Gordon‘s opener.
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Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, and Noni Madueke were left on the bench while Ivan Toney and Marcus Rashford only came on in the 96th minute.
There is also a belief that replacing Declan Rice with a midfielder instead of an attacker inadvertently engineered Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser when Messi dropped it to the edge of the area before the Chelsea star’s long-range strike.
Marc Guehi said of the performance: “Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is just not enough, so I’m gutted.
“We should have carried on. We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and then the mentality was go back, defend.”
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Speaking to the BBC after the game, Tuchel had said he and his coaching staff had changed nothing after Gordon’s goal, but said the game changed completely.
He had said after the game: “Millions of coaches after the game think that they know better. I have to make a decision, it’s how I analysed the game.
“No regrets. The team gave everything and played one of our better matches, probably our best under the circumstances.”
England continues to be gripped by a fearful mindset when it comes to the big games, which was reflected in yet another painful exit.
Tuchel was brought in to try and change that mentality, but one non-playing source told The Telegraph: “Tuchel was brought in for his knockout tournament tactics and he got it wrong.
Meanwhile, another added: “Nobody could understand it.”
The report adds that despite the disappointment and ignominy of a third-place play-off against France this Saturday, rather than a first final since 1966, Tuchel retains the backing of The FA.
FA Chief Mark Bullingham is said to want to honour Tuchel’s full contract that runs until the next European Championship in 2028.
That would give Tuchel two more years to potentially change the mentality of the English national team to be one that does not wilt in key moments, with the Euros being played on British soil.
